Aussies have questioned whether a property manager ‘had nothing better to do’ after she confronted a tenant over a new puppy she discovered through social media.
Tierney Real Estate Mildura’s Annette Bulzomi said the tenant denied she had a dog despite obvious signs such as toys and bowls in a since-deleted TikTok.
‘Tenants, please don’t think your property manager is stupid,’ Ms Bulzomi said.
‘Today I went to a rental property where there were dog toys everywhere and dog bowls in the back verandah.
‘I asked how the new little puppy was going and she looked shocked and said ‘No I don’t have one’.
‘I said to her: ‘One, you’ve got toys and dog bowls, and two, it was posted all over social media that you have a new little addition to the family’.’
A woman who described herself as a ‘tenant advocate’ suggested the property manager had looked up the tenant on social media.
‘No wonder things aren’t getting done if property managers spend their day stalking people on social media,’ she said.
A property manager has sparked fierce debate after she confronted a tenant for having a pet in her rental after finding out about the puppy on social media
Many Aussies shared the same view.
‘She claims the tenant came up as a friend suggestion, but even if they did, it doesn’t mean your stalk their profile,’ one said.
‘What the hell is the property manager following their social media for,’ a second said.
‘Does the property manager have nothing better to do than going on a tenant’s social media?’ a third agreed.
Aussies were also divided about the rules concerning pets in Australian rentals.
‘Hang on, even though you’re allowed to have a pet, you still need approval,’ one said.
‘You’ve missed the point entirely,’ a second wrote. ‘If the tenant has a pet, it needs to be disclosed and put on the lease agreement.
‘The tenant lied about owning a pet.’
Ms Bulzomi noticed dog toys and bowls in the back verandah (stock image)
‘You’re allowed pets, but within your rental agreement and council regulations,’ a third said.
In Victoria, pets are allowed in rentals only with permission from their landlord who are allowed to refuse.
Consumer Affairs Victoria states that ‘all renters, including those with pets, have a responsibility to keep their rental property clean, avoid damage, and not be a nuisance to others’ and that the rental provider ‘has rights if a pet causes damage or other problems’.
‘It is a good idea for renters to give the rental provider information including the pet’s age, temperament and other characteristics, references and why the property is suitable for keeping the pet,’ it says.
‘The rental provider can try to negotiate conditions for keeping a pet on the property and if they disagree with the conditions, they must apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).’
In Ms Bulzomi’s case, she is also able to apply to VCAT ‘for an order to exclude the pet from the property’ as she believed the tenant was going behind her back.
Daily Mail has reached out to the property manager for comment.
